The 3rd Tennessee Cavalry Regiment was a

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry ...

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripted ...

that served in the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

Service

The 3rd Tennessee Cavalry was organized at

Murfreesboro Murfreesboro is a city in and county seat of Rutherford County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 152,769 according to the 2020 census, up from 108,755 residents certified in 2010. Murfreesboro is located in the Nashville metropol ...

and

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

and mustered in for a three-year enlistment on January 27, 1863, under the command of

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

William C. Pickens and saw action at the battle of Stones River before being officially mustered. The regiment was attached to 4th Division, Center,

XIV Corps 14 Corps, 14th Corps, Fourteenth Corps, or XIV Corps may refer to: * XIV Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * XIV Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German Army prior to and during World ...

, Department of the Cumberland, November 1862 to January 1863. Post of Nashville, Tennessee, Department of the Cumberland, to June 1863. 2nd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Army of the Cumberland, to August 1863. Post of Nashville, Tennessee, Department of the Cumberland, to January 1864. 3rd Brigade, Cavalry Division, XVI Corps, Department of the Tennessee, to April 1864. 1st Brigade, 4th Division, Cavalry Corps, Army of the Cumberland, to June 1864. District of North Alabama, Department of the Cumberland, to October 1864. 1st Brigade, 4th Division, Cavalry Corps, Military Division Mississippi, to November 1864. 2nd Brigade, 6th Division, Cavalry Corps, Military Division Mississippi and District Middle Tennessee, to August 1865. The 3rd Tennessee Cavalry mustered out of service at

, on August 3, 1865.

Detailed service

Guard trains from Nashville to Murfreesboro, Tenn., January 2–3, 1863. Battle of Stones River January 3. Expedition to Franklin January 31-February 13. Middletown and Hover January 31. Rover February 13. At Camp Spear, Nashville, until June. Near Murfreesboro March 22. Tullahoma Campaign June 23-July 7. Duty at Nashville until December 1863. Operations about Dandridge and Mossy Creek December 24–28. Expedition to Memphis, Tenn., December 28-January 4, 1864. Moved to Colliersville January 14. Smith's Expedition to Okolona, Miss., February 11–26. Pontotoc February 17. Okolona February 18. Egypt Station February 19. West Point February 20–21. Ivy's Hill or Okolona February 22. Near New Albany February 22. Ordered to Nashville, Tenn., February 27, and duty there until June. Duty on line of Nashville & Chattanooga Railroad and in the District of North Alabama about Decatur, Ala. until September. Operations in District of North Alabama June 24-August 20. Scout in Morgan and Lawrence Counties July (detachment). Expedition from Decatur to Courtland and Moulton and skirmish July 25–28. Courtland July 28. Summerville Road near Decatur August 6 (detachment). Near Pond Springs August 9. Expedition from Decatur to Moulton August 17–20. Near Antioch Church August 18–19. Florence September 10. Operations against Forrest September 16–25. Action at Athens September 23–24 (detachment), captured. Action at Sulphur Branch Trestle September 25 with most of the regiment captured. Duty on Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad until December. At Decatur, Pulaski and Nashville. Joined Brigade at Nashville, Tenn., December 13. Battle of Nashville December 15–16. On post duty at Nashville until August 1865.

Casualties

The regiment lost a total of 546 men during service; 2 officers and 8 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded, 4 officers and 532 enlisted men died of disease or accident.Fox, William F., Lt.-Col., 'Regimental Losses in the American Civil War, 1861-1865', Albany, N.Y., 1889, p. 519. Many of those captured at Sulphur Branch Trestle were sent to Cahawba Prison in Alabama and paroled in April 1865. The parolees were then sent to Vicksburg, where they embarked on the ill-fated steamboat ''Sultana''. Over 260 soldiers of the 3rd Tennessee died in the ''Sultana'' disaster on April 27, 1865. Their names are listed on the ''Sultana'' monument in Mount Olive Cemetery in Knox County, TN. "http://www.tngenweb.org/civilwar/cemeteries/sultana.html"

Commanders

* Colonel William C. Pickens *

Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

Benjamin Cunningham - commanded at the battle of Nashville

References

* Andes, John W. and Will A. McTeer. ''Loyal Mountain Troopers: The Second and Third Tennessee Volunteer Cavalry in the Civil War—Reminiscences of Lieutenant John W. Andes and Major Will A. McTeer'' (Maryville, TN: Blount County Genealogical and Historical Society), 1992. * Dyer, Frederick H. ''A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion'' (Des Moines, IA: Dyer Pub. Co.), 1908. * Wiefering, Edna. ''Tennessee Union Soldiers'' Vol. 3 (Cleveland, TN: Cleveland Public Library), 1996. ;Attribution * {{CWR Military units and formations established in 1863 Military units and formations disestablished in 1865 Units and formations of the Union Army from Tennessee 1865 disestablishments in Tennessee 1863 establishments in Tennessee

Service

Detailed service

Casualties

Commanders

See also

References